Minister of State for Karamoja Barbara Nekesa Oundo visits Karamoja for the First Time since her Appointment to Mark the Day of the African Child Kampala

The 25-year-old, youngest-ever Ugandan Minister went to the remote village of Iriiri in the Napak district.

Minister of State for Karamoja Barbara Nekesa Oundo

Her visit was organized to coincide with the Day of the African Child, which is celebrated today under the theme, “All Together for Urgent Action in Favor of Street Children.”

In Uganda, it is estimated that there are approximately 10,000 street children – most live in filthy conditions in urban areas and are forced to beg to survive.

The majority of children on Kampala’s streets come from Napak district – one of the districts in the sub-region Karamoja, Ugand’s poorest  and mainly from the sub-counties of Iriiri, Lorengechora and Lokopo.

The Karamojong children -migration to the main cities is due to harsh economic and social insecurity.

A 12-year-old John-Bosco Odoto, a former street child who has returned to Iriiri said that Often, street children have left home, or have been sent away to urban areas by their own families, in the hope of having a better life, after arriving in the city, these children end up on the streets begging for money. “When it was night, I slept on the floor of somebody‟s house “When it reached morning then I would  go to beg for some money and  I would say help  for me some money.

UNICEF Uganda Country Representative. Dr. Sharad Sapra  said that there is a two-pronged approach to addressing this issue and this to ensure there are economic activities initiated in the communities, so that families can make a livelihood and ensuring  that children attend school so they can get the skills and knowledge to be employed gainfully, and to break the cycle of poverty.

Ultimate Media